The Huron Emery Volume 8 Issue 5 May 2023

HURON EMERY THE

Naloxone: a life saving drug to be stocked in AAPS

ELIOT DIMCHEFF COPY EDITOR

Moose Gultekin approached the Ann Arbor Public Schools’ board of education with trepidation, intent on broaching a deeply important topic. Gultekin stood in a room full of older, unfamiliar faces, save for a few friends that had come along to support them. Overcoming their nerves, Gultekin began to speak.

“There has been a lot of talking about overdosing,” Gultekin said at their Feb. 8 public address.

“I actually have a couple of questions for the audience.”

By show of hands, the attend-

ees demonstrated varying levels of familiarity with the life saving drug Narcan (naloxone). Most knew what it was, few knew how to use it, and even fewer carried it with them.

Gultekin then sprang into the rest of their address.

“It was a surreal experience,” Gultekin said. “I was going up there like, ‘this is gonna be weird.’I remember seeing a lot of heads nodding and hearing a lot of clapping at the end.”

Gultekin, a Community High School student, was asking the board about the presence of Narcan (naloxone) nasal spray in school buildings.

They had recently discovered that students and staff in AAPS buildings were not provided naloxone, a life-sav-

ing drug used to stop opioid overdoses, by the district.

“That made me really stressed, mostly because I think Narcan is like another life saving device like an AED or an EpiPen,” Gultekin said. “Everyone should have access to it at any time it’s needed.”

While Superintendent Jeanice Swift did not respond to requests for an interview, AAPS Director of Communications Andrew Cluley provided a copy of the original March 10 community bulletin.

“With the health and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors continuing as a top priority, Ann Arbor Public Schools is currently taking the necessary steps to have the rescue medication Naloxone in our school

WEBSITE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

On April 12, Ann Arbor Public Schools held one of their weekly School Board Meetings, where the board discusses important issues and changes in the district. Following public commentary, the two main points of discussion were the Summer Learning and Enrichment program and the Superintendent’s update.

The board announced

the three summer school programs for the summer of 2023. The three programs include the Special Education Programs, English Learner Programs, and the Summer Music Program.

Each of the different programs have different opportunities and camps that have been specialized for different students’ needs.

Additionally, the Superintendent Jeanice Swift took time to give her own updates. Some of the up-

dates included new information on support for childcare and standardized testing.

Regarding childcare, the district added two additional programs, which is a 50 percent increase. There are also new job postings for childcare help.

“For folks who want to lend a hand we would ask you to take our job posting and put it out on your networks,” Swift said. “Working in service to our children, I can’t think of a better job.”

buildings,” the bulletin read.

Fatal opioid overdoses in Washtenaw County increased by 28 percent from 2020 to 2021, according to the bulletin.

Naloxone knocks opioid agonist (initiating a physiological reaction) molecules off of opioid receptors in the brain and inhibits the effects of those drugs. This quickly reverses reduced heart rate and respiration - side effects that can make opioid overdose fatal.

“Just as CPR, AED devices and EPI pens are used in times of medical emergency, naloxone will be administered by trained AAPS staff according to medical protocols,” the bulletin said.

A broken system : Why are the wrong people behind bars?

ANNABELLE YE, JULIANNE CUCOS, AND SAMARA JIHAD

DESIGN EDITOR AND STAFF WRITERS

20,000. That’s how many people are estimated to be innocent in the United States prison population in a study done by the Innocence Project. That’s 20,000 people wrongfully stripped away from their loved ones, 20,000 people wrongfully denied the right to vote, 20,000 people behind bars, serving someone else’s sentence.

According to a study done by the University of Michigan Law School, Black

Americans make up around 53 percent of known wrongful convictions, despite representing only 13.6 percent of the American population. Additionally, the National Registry of Exonerations reported that, “Innocent Black people are about seven-and-a-half times more likely to be convicted of murder than innocent white people.” But, why?

The answer lies in this country’s centuries of systemic racism. “What we have done to Black people in this country is deny them the

@THEHURONEMERY HURON HIGH SCHOOL, 2727 FULLER RD., ANN ARBOR MI 48105

Narcan nasal spray used to reverse opioid overdoses, is now accessible for free at the Downtown branch of the Ann Arbor District Library. PHOTO CREDIT: ANITA GAENKO

Ann Arbor Public Schools start each board meeting with public commentary.

PHOTO BY SANDRA FU

protocols,” the bulletin said.

In an email sent to Emery Staff on April 10, Jenna Bacalor, the Executive Director of Student and School Health and Community Division confirmed that all AAPS high schools have access to Narcan, and that eventually all AAPS buildings will have it.

“The lead school nurse, Keely Hoffman, is training members of building Medical Emergency Response Teams (MERT). Getting to all of the different MERT teams takes

time, but I know they’re working diligently,” Bacalor wrote.

The MERT will play an important role in overdose treatment with naloxone.

“Each school is forming this group of first responders to respond to a medical emergency. Everybody that is on that team is being trained,” Burdick said. “We have I think [nine] people on our team.”

Cluley said that the source of the naloxone, which is being provided for free, was the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

At Huron’s clinic, there are four boxes of Narcan. Within each box there are two doses.

“We are in the middle of a huge spike of opioid overdoses,” Huron High School Nurse Ann Burdick said. “ And they’re accidental because meds are being spiked with them.”

Drug overdose rates have risen substantially, but uniformly, across

TRANQ DOPE

most substances, including psychostimulants like cocaine and methamphetamine, benzodiazepines, prescription opioids, and heroin over the last twenty years. What stands out is a sharp spike, beginning around 2015, in deaths related to synthetic opioids (excluding methadone), primarily fentanyl.

“Just such a tiny amount, they say it’s a small enough amount to be on the eraser of a pencil, can kill somebody. If you’re not getting it [drugs] from an established place, that you know the ingredients, don’t do it.”

Fentanyl, sometimes called phentanyl or fentanil, is a synthetic opioid up to 100 times as potent as morphine. A fentanyl high can be achieved by taking just micrograms of the drug. An appropriately measured dose of fentanyl might be indistinguishable from heroin, but too much can easily be fatal. Because of this, fentanyl is often cut - used as an additive or substitute - into other drugs and then passed off as pure. According to the Drug En-

forcement Agency, fentanyl is the leading cause of death in Americans under 50. The CDC recorded over 100,000 overdose deaths in 2022, the majority of which involved synthetic opioids. Burdick and Gultekin both agree Narcan in schools is a step in the right direction.

“I think God bless us,” Burdick said. “But I just think, hey, just even the potential to save somebody, it’s worth it and you know, it is such an epidemic.”

Gultekin, hopeful, has been taking steps of their own to promote a safe school environment.

“I’ve been working with a bunch of teachers and some of my friends to see how many people we can get at [Community] to carry Narcan. There’s a lot of support for it,” Gultekin said. “I’ve found more and more people willing to carry it, and more and more people have been like ‘oh, I carry Narcan in my bag now’ and I’m like, ‘that’s awesome, we should all be doing that.’”

OUT OF 53 SAMPLES (TAKEN BETWEEN JAN. 10 AND APR. 19, 2023 ON DRUGSDATA. ORG) OF DRUGS SOLD AS HEROIN/DOPE, 46 CONTAINED FENTANYL AND 21 CONTAINED XYLAZINE. GRAPHIC BY SANDRA FU

SYSTEM| FROM PAGE ONE opportunity to accumulate wealth,” Eli Savit, the prosecuting attorney of Washtenaw County, said. “It started with slavery, then redlining — which prevented black families from purchasing homes, the number one way that you accumulate wealth.”

Today, roughly 100 years after the start of redlining, 41 percent of Black Americans own homes, while 73 percent of white Americans are homeowners, according to the Equal Justice Initiative.

With expensive defense attorneys and pricey expert witnesses, the more money one has, the less likely they are to fall victim to a wrongful conviction. Savit also noted that there is “implicit and explicit bias in our justice system,” which is another contributing factor to the racial inequities in the US justice system. According to the National Library of Medicine, “Black and Hispanic defendants received longer ju -

Fentanyl presents extreme risk to those who take drugs recreationally, especially opioid users. The National Institute on Drug Abuse also notes that the veterinary tranquilizer xylazine “is often added to illicit opioids, including fentanyl, and people report using xylazine-containing fentanyl to lengthen its euphoric effects.” Just like fentanyl, xylazine may be added to other drugs without the knowledge of the user. Xylazine is not an opioid and overdose cannot be reversed by naloxone administration.

dicial sentences than White defendants,” after crime severity was accounted for.

“Of course the people who have been historically discriminated against and denied the opportunity to accumulate wealth are disproportionately affected,” Savit said. “But it’s not just about wealth gaps. It’s also about the biases that people have that we see on juries.”

As Washtenaw County’s prosecuting attorney, addressing the injustices of wrongful convictions is at the top of Savit’s list of priorities.

“The consequences of it are just so draconian, so severe and so categorically unjust,” Savit said. “I think that a wrongful conviction that sends somebody to prison is not just the worst mistake that a prosecutor can make, it’s the worst mistake that the government can make because all of us only get one chance at life.”

To many, including Savit, the fundamental problem of the US justice system lies in its purpose: punishment.

“We have for far too long seen punishment, as well as long lasting stigma, as being the way to address

a whole host of societal problems that could be better addressed,” Savit said. “A criminal conviction is something that stays on your record for, in most cases, the rest of your life, and we’ve set up all these systems that prevent you from getting jobs, from getting housing, from getting educational opportunities, and that ultimately don’t get people back on the right track.”

To Huron High School junior Fonsea Bagchi, these same issues have made detrimental impacts on the youth population, inspiring him to become a board member of the Michigan Center for Youth Justice.

“The justice system is about punishing youth instead of helping youth,” Bagchi said. “It’s designed to put you in prison and then keep you in prison after you turn 18. This means you’re charged as an adult, instead of providing opportunities to reform and go on to lead a productive and healthy life.”

Bagchi believes that the young generation holds the power to help, not just through voting but through a necessary change in mindset. “Knowing about these problems is the biggest thing,” Bagchi said. “Voting is huge, but it’s important [that] people are understanding and caring about these issues so they’re

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not ignorant and spreading false information about these people who are being charged.”

Although Bagchi stated that federal laws continue to perpetuate these problems outside of the control of local authorities, the tenacious fight of many local politicians keeps him hopeful. Bagchi stated that Savit is one of them, with his campaign built on “fighting against wrong and bad policy, but also restorative justice as a whole.”

For Savit, this restorative justice is focused on new opportunities.

“That lack of resources for people is really the number one barrier that dampens our ability to make systemic change,” Savit said. “If we’re really going to do things right, we need to be focused on rehabilitation and giving people an opportunity to avoid that record that’s going to send them back.”

Proof beyond reasonable doubt; innocent before proven guilty — rights protected by the Due Process Clauses of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments. Yet, the United States prison system continues to house the innocent. “This is the criminal legal system we’re talking about,” Savit said. “The system that can deny somebody their freedom.”

Traveling to Grand Rapids, Huron students represented the River Rats by crushing the competition, and showing their strengths through their knowledge of business, programming, speech, financial and economic systems, and more, all while having some fun around the city. From March 9 to March 12, Business Professionals of America (BPA) competed against the foremost competitors from all across Michigan in the BPA statewide event.

“It was amazing,” senior Varshini Kashyap, secretary of our school’s BPA club, said, “It was a lot of fun, and we saw a lot of success. We took over 50 people to states and around 15 people qualified for nationals, which is really exciting.”

Their excellent performance was spread around a wide variety of small, separate events.

“Everyone did their assigned event at a different time, throughout the three days,” Kashyap said, “I did the Small Business Management Team. We had to give a presentation about how to help a small business succeed because it was having problems. We did some research beforehand, and practiced the presentation a lot.”

Her team came in first place for this event.

The group’s trip, of course, was not without its memorable moments beyond the events. “We were able to leave the hotel, and it

More than a business trip: Huron BPA competes at States

SAMUEL KEREKES STAFF WRITER

Huron BPA rides in the hotel elevator PHOTO COURTESY OF ARMAAN KAMAT

Selah Dowell performs with Michigan Pops Orchestra

MELINDA MEI STAFF WRITER

Selah Dowell, sophomore, takes a bow with the talented Michigan Pops Orchestra on the Michigan Theatre stage, with the filled audience clapping loudly.

Dowell has been playing violin since she was four years old. Most kids are forced into instruments by their parents – but not Dowell; beginning the violin was Dowell’s own decision. Even at the young age of four, she took initiative to go for what she wanted.

“There was this threeyear-old girl on TV,” Dowell said. “She was playing the violin and I was like, ‘I’m going to play the violin now.’”

Dowell currently plays in the Huron Symphony Orchestra, the highest level orchestra at Huron High School.

Director Timothy Krohn posted information in the bulletin about an opportunity to audition for playing with the Michigan Pops Orchestra, and Dowell took the chance.

At the time, she was playing the Mendelssohn Concerto First Movement. However, the previous winner played that piece, so Dowell

had to pick a different one.

“I was stuck,” Dowell said.

Luckily, her teacher Danielle Belen, professor at the University of Michigan, was there to help. She told Dowell to play the Symphonie Espagnole 1st movement by Édouard Lalo, which Dowell had been preparing in December for the collage concert.

“Before my teacher told me that I was going to play [my chosen piece], I had no idea it even existed,” Dowell said. “But now it’s my favorite piece on violin to play.”

Dowell has been studying with Belen since Dowell was eight years old.

“She’s the best teacher I’ve ever had,” Dowell said.“I couldn’t ask for a better teacher.”

The initial step of the audition was an online recording. About fifteen people did the pre-recording, and roughly half made it to the live audition.

After making it into the live audition,

Dowell began intensive preparation. She typically practices an hour a day, but the week before the audition, she started increasing her practice hours.

“I remember one day I practiced for four and a half hours,” Dowell said.

“I would record myself and listen back to it. I would also practice really slowly. I was going through each measure really slowly for intonation.”

Dowell made her room “a vibe” to keep practicing fun.

“I would turn off the light in my room, and turn on my fairy lights,” Dowell said.

As the live audition came up, Dowell felt well-prepared, but she was still nervous.

“I was nervous because that mattered the most,” Dowell said. “It determined whether I would get to play with [the orchestra].”

Right before the audition, a mishap occurred that spiked Dowell’s nerves. She forgot her rosin. Dowell ended up knocking on a random door and borrowing another person’s rosin.

“But then my hands were all sticky and I was scared it would mess me up because I couldn’t shift as well,” Dowell said.

Despite her sticky hands, Dowell performed well.

“There were a few intonation spots that weren’t perfect, but it was the best I could have done,” Dowell said. “I was telling myself that I wasn’t going to win so I wouldn’t be too disappointed if I didn’t win.”

A few days later, Dowell received an email with the results. She had won the competition and would be featured in a Michigan Pops Orchestra concert. On April 8th, Dowell performed the Symphonie Espagnole 1st movement with the Pops

Orchestra accompanying her.

“My mom sent me the email when I was at school around my orchestra friends,” said Dowell. “I ran over and told them the news. Mr. Krohn was there too. It was very exciting.”

Dowell kept practicing to prepare for this performance, but not as much as she had been for the live audition. Prior to the performance, Dowell had two rehearsals with the orchestra, a dress rehearsal and then a soundcheck at the Michigan Theatre. Her performance was in the second half of the concert, and she stayed backstage beforehand.

“I was practicing but

Huron Podcasting Club: Advocating for Huron students

DANIEL

NEWS EDITOR

According to Statista, the popularity of podcasting has been growing exponentially throughout the years, now that over 48 percent of high school students listen to podcasts weekly. One reason why podcasts are gaining more attention among students is because podcasting can take form in many different ways of storytelling. On a mission to spread Huron students’ stories and voices, Huron podcasting club meets every Thursday after school in room 7118.

Huron podcasting club focuses on sharing how students at Huron view the world around them and what it means to be a teen in today’s world.

“In each episode, we tell relatable stories that we have experienced in our daily lives,” junior and club president Rachael Kim said. “So far, we have had

people talk about their hectic morning routines, anxiety with making friends, and opinions on school lunches.”

Although having to record one’s voices to be heard by other students could be nerve-wracking for many, podcasting club tries to provide a comfortable and supportive environment for anyone, even the ones without any experience with podcasting.

“Anyone, as long as they can talk, can talk about whatever, including what you did last weekend, a fight with your parents, or even your favorite smoothie recipe, which can all be featured in our short 6-8 minute episode,” Kim said.

While many listerners think that podcasting mainly revolves around the person recording their voices, there are many more important roles needed within the club for producing a podcast.

“Every single person participates in the whole

production of the podcast from beginning to end, including creating original theme music and cover design,” Kim said. “Even if you are not the talkative type, there are so many behindthe-scenes things to do, from marketing, picking intro and outro music, or working on the advice column.”

Although the club was able to cover many deep, issue-worthy topics, Kim also hopes to expand the range of topics.

“We have had people talk about mental health issues or things they are struggling with, which I really appreciate, because it is not always easy to share your vulnerable side,” Kim said.

“I think high school is not just about struggles or dark moments. It is also about being stupid, mindless, or just being regular teenagers. I would like our podcast to reflect all of that.”

Ever since the club was created, many students

have shown their interest.

“Everyone has a story,” Kim said. “Whether it is big or small, serious or stupid, everyone has something that they are thinking, experiencing, and feeling in their lives. I think the more you share your story, the more you learn about yourself. That is why I think people should join this club. Not for us, but for themselves.”

then I got really tired so I started playing chess,” Dowell said. Performing her piece this time around, Dowell was surprisingly not nervous, despite having to be on stage in front of a full audience.

“When I went on stage, I saw [my friends] sitting in the front row and they waved to me, so I wasn’t nervous at all,” Dowell said. “The entire time I was just thinking about them being there.”

Overall, the experience went really well and Dowell appreciates the opportunity. “I had a lot of fun in the moment,” Dowell said.

Huron podcasting club’s works can be found on their spotify page: “Between Chick and the Chicken.”

LEE

Kate Kim and Rachael Kim founded a Podcasting Club at Huron this year. COURTESY OF RACHAEL KIM

Selah Dowell in the Ingram Theatre

PHOTO BY MELINDA MEI

“I saw this threeyear-old girl on TV playing the violin and I thought, ‘I’m going to play the violin now.’”

SELAH DOWELL, 10

Fast Fashion: not worth the “speed”

ROBERT LYNN STAFF WRITER

Fast fashion can be described as cheap clothing items that follow current trends and take a lot of inspiration from catwalk and designer brands or what celebrities are wearing. A few examples of fast fashion brands are H and M, Shein, BooHooMan, FashionNova, Forever 21 and Uniqlo. They have good products that are worth your money such as the 8-10 dollar t-shirts at H and M or some of the brand collaborations at Uniqlo. These may seem good at a surface level but it has more of an effect on fashion culture, workplaces and the environment.

The environmental impact that Fast fashion has is surprisingly high. It sucks up many resources, including water. It takes approximately 700 gallons of water to produce a cotton t-shirt and up to 2000 gallons to produce a pair of jeans. The excess dyed water is also often dumped into ditches,streams or rivers, contributing to an already high water pollution rate. Microplastics are also a huge issue in the industry. Brands often use polyester, nylon and acrylic which take hundreds of years to biodegrade. In an article from Earth.org, they say that “A report done from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimated that 35% of microplastics in the ocean

come from the laundering of synthetic textiles like polyester.

Fast fashion companies work through many unethical practices like poor working conditions and wages. Many of these companies get their products from asian countries, particularly developing asian countries like Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines. They work in these countries because of the lack of labor laws and human right protection laws so they can get away with these unsafe and unethical work practices. These factory workers are paid below minimum wage and work extreme hours in unsafe conditions. The hours the workers work on farms or garment factories can exceed 100 hours a week. The workers are also mistreated and even abused in the factory. Verbal abuse is common but sexual abuse also occurs. They are pressured to work overtime hours, drink dirty water and even are pressured to not use the restroom. Fast Fashion is also responsible for a large amount of child labor in factories. Countries like Bangladesh, China, The Philippines and Indonesia.

These children are stripped of an education and forced to work in these factories to keep up with the large supply demands that these brands ask for.

Fast fashion brands also affect the fashion

industry and brands in it. Since they have low prices and high production rate, they often get more sales rather than a brand that will make a good quality product. In my own experience I have noticed that these Fast Fashion brands have low quality products. I recently bought a nice quality t-shirt for around 25 dollars and it will last me years while I could have bought a shirt made of a different material from H and M for 8 dollars, and this price difference is often what consumers look

at. The Fast Fashion Industry affects the view of other companies as well. Many people would rather pay 8 dollars for a tshirt but when they see a good quality shirt for 20 dollars they think that the company is charging too much while that is around the regular price for a tshirt. This is harming other companies because it makes them seem like they are overcharging and drives business away because of the fast fashion brands extremely low prices. In general, people should stop shopping at fast fashion brands because of the

ethical harm done to the individuals that made the clothes you’re wearing and the direct pollution done to the environment. Things you can do to combat this is buy good quality clothing that you won’t have to throw away very often, donate clothing, and stop buying from Fast Fashion brands. Step away from the price and look at the product.

The environmental problem with Dupe Culture

ANJALI NADARAJAH COPY EDITOR

A dupe, a new term coined by social media, is essentially a cheaper version of an item considered luxury or expensive, short for “duplicates”. Like the Walmart UGG look-alikes or the target Stanley cup knockoffs, retailers are beginning to mass produce dupes like they’ve never before.

In addition to looking cheap, due to the quality and design of the article, dupes promote the overconsumption of material things. Especially with TikTok’s popularity, nearly every other video I see is urging me to “Don’t walk, RUN” to Amazon to buy the new Laneige lip mask dupe. But I have yet to see someone look at the situation from an environmental standpoint. Because these dupes are so cheap, most consumers will add it to their cart without thinking about how much they actually need it. If you

already have something that serves the same purpose, why buy another? The price is not a valid answer. The more we buy, the more plastic containers and polyester clothing end up in landfills, further hurting the environment.

SHEIN, a popular e-commerce website with dirt-cheap dupes, produces around 700 million tonnes of CO2 annually, according to Euronews. It’s estimated to double by 2030. According to CEO Molly Miao, the company releases between 700 and 1,000 new items each day. Where do you think these clothes go after being bought?

Straight to the landfill.

Also, oftentimes, dupes of expensive things are ripping off the sustainability aspect of it.

For example, Patagonia is a sustainable clothing company, paying their workers fair wages and producing quality products that would last a lifetime. But, Amazon

released a strikingly similar fleece quarter zip, but without the sustainability, fair wages, and quality.

Even more, most all dupes are produced in

sweatshops, where working conditions are worse than you can imagine. A recent investigation discovered by the U.K. Channel 4 alleged that Shein’s workers worked 16-hours per day, got only one day off a month, and earned wages of around 4,000 yuan ($572) per month, hardly enough to survive with basic necessities.

Overall, just because something is cheap doesn’t mean you need it. If anything, you should stay away from alarmingly cheap things if you can afford it, because what goes on behind the scenes is not pretty.

GRAPHIC BY SANDRA FU

GRAPHIC BY ANITA GAENKO

Daisy Jones And The Six: A step into Rock and Roll

ANNA ESPER WEBSITE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Love, pining, friendship, addiction, abuse, fame and rock and roll. These are all words that can be used to describe the fictional band “Daisy Jones & The Six.” Based on the band Fleetwood Mac, viewers are thrown into the fictional world of Daisy and the band, as well as their families and friends through breathtaking costumes, an addictive plot, and the perfect example of Rock and Roll: the soundtrack. The new TV miniseries adapted from the New York Times bestselling novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid creates the perfect story of a 70’s rock band rising to fame by connecting us to each of the characters.

I have been a huge fan of the novel for almost a year and a half, falling in love with the characters and interview style the book is set up in. When I saw the cast announced, I knew the series would be perfect.

LGBTQ Representation in "The Last Of Us"

BECCA CARLSON STAFF WRITER

Many video games have been adapted to movies and TV shows, but out of over five million video games, only 179 have had LGBTQ+ representation. Recently, HBO Max's show "The Last of Us," creators Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin have continued to incorporate the representation from the video game. Fans of the video games and newcomers are raving over the new show. The TV show was rated one of the best shows in 2023 so far by Vogue.

"The Last of Us" is an adventure survival horror game where players mainly play as the main character, Joel, in a post-apocalyptic world. Players play with 14-year-old Ellie who is learning how to adapt

and survive in a post apocalyptic world without her parents. In the new HBO series, young Ellie is played by actor Bella Ramsey.

Recently, Ramsey has been breaking the barriers of gender and LGBTQ+ representation in TV. The actor recently came out as gender fluid saying that their gender has always been very fluid.

“Someone would call me 'she' or 'her' and I wouldn't think about it, but I knew that if someone called me 'he' it was a bit exciting," Ramsey said in an interview with the "New York Times." “I'm very much just a person.”

Regarding pronouns, Ramsey claimed he doesn't worry about what people use for them, but checks the nonbinary option on a form.

"Being gendered isn't

something that I particularly like, but in terms of pronouns, I really couldn't care less," Ramsey said. Recently, Ramsey has been binding their chest during 90 percent of their role in The Last of Us. Throughout her history of acting, she has constantly fought the gender barriers in the acting industry, and representing an LGBT character in one of the most popular shows in 2023 is just the beginning.

With the band's frontman Billy Dunne being played by Sam Claflin and Daisy Jones being played by Elvis Presley’s granddaughter Riley Keough,I could picture the story immediately. After the show was released, I am now glad to say the series sticks closely to the main plot of the novel.

The strongest part of the show is the connection between the actors. The greatest example of this is Daisy and Billy, two twinflames who embody “right person wrong time.”

When we meet Billy, he is just the front man of “The Six,” the band before Daisy joins. We watch him fall in love and marry Camila, played by Camila Morrone. When “The Six” goes on their first tour, Camila gets the news that she is pregnant. Instead of being there to support his pregnant wife, Billy gets lost in his addiction and begins to cheat on Camila with groupies. When Billy misses the birth of his daughter, he decides to go to rehab and show up for his family. For Daisy, she has always used drugs to escape the pain from her past. It’s all she's ever known, she's never had anyone to support her.

This is what drives the two together. Daisy is what Billy is running away from. We see this shine

through Claflin’s incredible facial acting. Claflin tells the whole story through his face. Throughout the story, he transformed the story from what was on the surface to creating the belief that the band was real, that Billy’s story with Daisy and Camila were real. He made me hate Billy Dunne. He made the band feel real.

But the real standout was Keough’s ability to take a complex character like Daisy and show her true vulnerability not only in acting, but through the soundtrack. While watching I was drawn into Daisy. As she fell for Billy, the audience fell for Billy. As she shared a mic with Billy, the audience felt the lyrics she was singing. As she cried, we cried with her.

Keough made me fall apart at the same time the band did. She connected us to the glitter on her face, the lyrics of the soundtrack, the power in her walk, and the love she had for every character in the show.

The series is an experience. From start to end, I was waiting to see what happened next. I couldn’t stop streaming the soundtrack and waiting for the new episodes every week.

The show is more than a drama mini-series, it is Rock and Roll.

THE EMERY STAFF

GRAPHIC BY SANDRA FU

SATVIKA RAMANATHAN AND MADDIE PALE WEBSITE MANAGING EDITOR AND STAFF WRITER

Bird Hills

- Lots of forests and woods

- Great for hiking

- Unique

P A R K S OF A N N A R B O R

Gallup

- Small islands with bridges and mulch paths

- Great for running along the Huron River

- Close to Huron

Argo

- Great for rafting, kayaking, or just floating on a tube

- Nice running paths

The Arb

- A multitude of scenery

- Good for running, hiking, walks

County Farm

- Playgrounds, gazebos

- Good for small social events

- All types of paths

We went to five popular parks in Ann Arbor, and each park had something unique to offer. There’s something for everyone here, and this is what we thought.

Colleges in

Many high school students feel stressed about forming post-graduation plans. Michigan alone is home to over 70 colleges and universities, all unique in terms of location, tuition, popular majors, and much more.

University of Michigan (U of M)

Ann Arbor, MI

Michigan State University (MSU)

East Lansing, MI

Central Michigan University (CMU)

Mt. Pleasant, MI

Eastern Michigan University (EMU)

Ypsilanti, MI

Acceptance rate: 23%

Average GPA: 3.88

Average SAT score: 1435

Popular Majors: Engineering, Computer Science, Business

Grand Valley State University (GVSU)

Grand Rapids, MI

Acceptance rate: 83%

Average GPA: 3.75

Average SAT score: 1210

Popular Majors: Business, Biological Science, Communication

WesternMichigan University (WMU)

Kalamazoo, MI

Acceptance rate: 92%

Average GPA: 3.6

Average SAT score: 1150

Popular Majors: Business, Biological Science, Communication

Acceptance rate: 83%

Average GPA: 3.37

Average SAT score: 1180

Popular Majors: Engineering, Business, Psychology

Acceptance rate: 77%

Average GPA: 3.52

Average SAT score: 1110

Popular Majors: Business, Education, Psychology

Washtenaw Community College (WCC)

Ann Arbor, MI

Acceptance rate: 100%

Popular Majors: General Studies, Nursing, Business

Average In-State Tuition ($ per year)

Acceptance rate: 85%

Average GPA: 3.28

U of M MSU CMU WMU EMU GVSU WCC

ASHLEY KIM, MELINDA MEI, AND SAMANTHA GOLDSTEIN STAFF WRITERS AND DESIGN EDITOR

The idea in the Asian community that Affirmative Action gives an unfair advantage to “less qualified applicants” has developed into a dangerous prejudice against other minorities. The same racist ideals that Affirmative Action was put into place to stop — are now being argued to tear it down entirely.

As hearts pound relentlessly and stomachs drop at the click on the “status update” application portals, tears of both joy and despair fall as students around the nation are notified of an update to their college application; to open what will hopefully be the best — or what could be the worst — news of their high school

careers.

During the college admission process, any given high school student’s college application will be evaluated based on criteria such as GPA, standardized test scores, extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation, and the student’s college essay. However, most college admissions teams employ the “Holistic Review”, meaning that applicants are not judged based on one sole component of their application, such as GPA, test scores, or extracurricular activities. But a more controversial factor that is taken into account during the holistic review, is race and ethnicity. Affirmative Action is the inclusion of an applicant’s race or other identities in their consideration for admission to combat the past barriers that marginalized identities may have experienced. There are some who disagree with the premise of Affirmative Action and believe that it may actually warp the

TARIK FERMIN MANAGING EDITOR

GRAPHIC BY KELLY PARK

standard for qualifications for college admissions.

This misconstrued belief has evolved into a dismissive prejudice against other groups of people of color — especially Black and Latinx students — and subsequently has brought up the notion that other minority groups are under qualified and therefore “stealing” spots in incoming college classes from primarily Asian applicants.

This divisive issue also feeds into White supremacist ideals that were previously used to deter Black and Latinx people from involving themselves in higher education.

According to the 2020 Asian-American voter survey, out of over 1,500 AsianAmericans surveyed, over approximately 250 of them were against affirmative action.

“Being a school in Ann Arbor, we have a super like progressive liberal reputation and in a lot of ways, we are really diverse, but that doesn’t mean that discrimination doesn’t take place at our school,” said senior Niloy Jamil, a gay student at Huron attending the University of Michigan in the fall.

This prejudice has stretched beyond disgruntled racist remarks behind closed doors.

In 2014, a group called the SFFA (Students for Fair Admission) sued Harvard University on the grounds that Harvard was admitting comparatively “under qualified” Black and Latinx applicants but rejecting and discriminating against “more qualified” Asian applicants.

In response, Harvard said, “Harvard College does not discriminate against applicants from any group in its admissions processes,”

Harvard then hired UC Berkeley economics professor David Card to research six years worth of Harvard admissions data. Card came to the conclusion that Harvard did not — in fact — discriminate against Asian applicants.

“The average marginal effect of being Asian American on an applicant’s likelihood of admission was statistically indistinguishable from zero, and in fact was slightly positive in three of six years at issue in this case,” Card said.

The notion that non-Asian or White applicants are given an unfair advantage and are generally less qualified than Asian applicants has a lot of holes in it.

“Sometimes people who have like racist mindsets will try to say, ‘this

person only got into this super prestigious school because they’re a minority,’ When that’s not always the case,” “Our school has a pretty high Asian population and with that, a lot of times, even some of the people I consider to be my friends [think] it’s really easy [to succeed academically as a non-Asian minority],” said Jamil. According to the U.S. Office of Minority Health, Asians make up only 5.7 percent of the United States population, but according to the Harvard Crimson, Asians make up 21.9 percent of Harvard’s class of 2026. While, the combined percentages of Black and Hispanic students in Harvard’s class of 2026 barely break 17 percent of the class population. Nearly every prestigious university reflects the same drastic difference in Asian student populations to non-Asian minorities. The 2022-2023 common data sets of Stanford, MIT and Princeton show that the percentages of Black, Hispanic and Native American/Pacific Islander students combined are typically less than the percentage of Asian students alone — oftentimes, with shocking differences between the populations. For instance at MIT, all non-Asian minorities in their most recent common data set makeup 23.9 percent of the incoming class, but Asian students make up 35.3 percent of the incoming class. The statistics clearly reflect that Affirmative Action isn’t discriminating against Asian applicants. Looking at the individual number of nonAsian or White students at any top-ranked college is astonishing. In common data sets for the 22-23 admissions cycles of Cornell, Dartmouth and Yale, there is no school with a percentage of Black students in their incoming class that is higher than 10 percent, and no school with a percentage of Hispanic students in their incoming class that is higher than 16 percent. Moreover, at every school listed and more, Native American/Pacific Islander students do not amount to a percentage higher than three percent of the incoming class, and oftentimes, the percentage of Native American students

rounded up to a whole number, is zero. While Asian students rarely make up less than 20 percent of the incoming students. At public universities however, the enrollment statistics appear much more inclusive to many races, and a balanced percentage of different minorities make up the student body. But, there are still some outliers. At the University of

exemplify myself and show myself in a way that allowed people to see me for who I was,” said Diarra. QuestBridge is an extremely selective program that grants full-ride scholarships to top schools in the U.S. for selected

hard work in the classroom was meaningless because of their race.

Michigan, Asian students make up 20 percent of the incoming class of 22-23, while other non-Asian minorities make up just 17 percent. At the Georgia Institute of Technology, for the 22-23 class, Asian students make up 34 percent of the class, yet the populations of Black and Hispanic students combined only make up 34 percent of the class, as well the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, University of Texas at Austin and UC San Diego have significantly less populations of Black and Hispanic students in comparison to Asian students.

This misconception that devolved into prejudice has a negative effect on non-Asian students, and is marginalizing and undermining to many high academically achieving non-Asian students — even at Huron.

“One of my really good friends got into an Ivy League and she was met with, ‘What were your stats?’ ‘How’d you get in?’ ‘What’d you do?’ instead of congratulating her, they kind of [questioned] her abilities,” Jamil said.

Aaliyah Diarra is headed to Columbia University in September — an Ivy League university — and she is also a Black woman. Moreover, Diarra is a QuestBridge Finalist.

“I had to really

applicants. “I didn’t think that I was going to get it just because I had heard how competitive [the QuestBridge scholarship] was, and I was competing against some of the smartest kids in the nation.”

“I spent a lot of time outside of the classroom dedicating myself to my schoolwork and other extracurriculars, so I have to do all my homework when I get home… I [also] play soccer and I have practice two hours a day every single day. I also have to help with tasks at home like my siblings, my family [too],” Diarra wasn’t met with only congratulations when she received news of her QuestBridge nomination and her admission to Columbia.

“When I got my acceptance into Columbia, a lot of my peers around me, especially those who were like white and of Asian descent, were quick to question how I got in and what were my stats and extracurriculars… a lot of [what] seemed like a backhanded compliments; like ‘congratulations, but like, ‘how did this happen?’ ” said Diarra.

“In the first month of realizing that I had gotten accepted I questioned whether or not I deserved [my admission], or [whether] I was deserving of such a high scholarship,” No student should have to question if their

“For these conservatives to try and say: ‘this X minority got in just because of their status as a minority’ neglects all the hard work they put into [their education] and it dismisses [the fact that] they deserve to be at the school just like anyone else,” Jamil said.

“I think a lot of the times when we look at Black Americans who have achieved higher success in the education system, oftentimes their pathway to that is looked at as ‘how did you get there?’ ‘what components led you to achieve what you’ve achieved?’ and sometimes I feel like their achievements are undermined,” said Diarra.

The dismissal of nonAsian academic achievement is demeaning and is based in racism, rather than an argument for equal rights between minorities.

“Columbia didn’t accept me just because I’m black,” said Diarra. “They accepted me because they saw me as a student that would contribute to their campus culture and to the system that they’re trying to build, and I would be a good fit there as well.”

ANITA GAENKO OPINION EDITOR

They’re all around us, in our air, water and blood: tiny pieces of plastic from the breakdown of larger products, small enough to fit on the head of a pin. They’re called microplastics, and there are so many of them in the environment that they’ve become embedded in plant and animal tissues all the way up the food chain -- accumulating in human fat and blood, too. But should we be worried?

Research on the effects of microplastics on humans is still ongoing. What we do know is that they’re there -- and they’re everywhere. One of the biggest issues for researchers is that they have no perfect control. Simply put, there are quite few samples of human tissue that don’t have any microplastics in them, although concentrations can vary based on where a person is and what they eat. As a result, we can’t always make conclusions about their effects, because we barely know what human tissue looks like without any microplastics at all.

However, there are a few preliminary conclusions we have. Scientists have already estimated that humans inhale and ingest up to 121,000 small plastic particles per year as adults. Those particles can enter the bloodstream, and when they do, they can latch on to red blood cells. Not only do they seem to limit the amount of oxygen

those cells can transport, they also get carried to all the organs in the body. The microplastics can embed themselves into the organs and remain there, accumulating for the rest of a person’s life. As of now, we have no idea how this affects larger organ function -- but we

risk is using skincare and makeup products that contain microbeads or nonbiodegradable glitter -- a lot of exfoliating skincare products have microbeads, which are just small round pieces of plastic. While they’re too big to be inhaled or ingested directly, they can break apart as you use them and be absorbed into your skin and the underlying tissues and blood vessels.

While research continues on this mysterious new threat, it’s worth paying attention to any new information that gets published. Plastic production isn’t just a faroff environmental issue

RACHEL OVERGAARD STAFF WRITER

On March 10th, 2023, the latest installment

disappointing, but I don’t really think it negatively affected the performance of “Scream 6.” Another favorite who returns in the fifth Scream is Dewey, but he sadly

have evidence that cells grown in a lab are damaged by microplastics.

Scientists are pretty sure about the mechanisms of how microplastics get into our system. Huge quantities of plastic waste get dumped into our oceans, where they are slowly broken down by the salty waves into miniscule pieces. Those pieces get ingested by small fish and embed into their tissues. Bigger fish eat large amounts of smaller fish, so they accumulate in even larger amounts. This pattern of magnification -- called bioaccumulation -- builds up through the food chain until it gets to a person. This process is also known to happen with lead, mercury and other heavy metals. People who eat a lot of fish are therefore at a higher risk for having microplastics in their system. Another thing that puts us at

It’s graduation season Staff Editorial: Let’s be proud of each other

As our Huron seniors start to announce their commitments to colleges or their other post-graduation plans, it’s important for all of us to be respectful of the work everyone has done to get to this point. No matter what path you choose, whether it’s a two- or fouryear university, a gap year, military service or straight

into the workforce, you got there over years and years of work. The entire culture around college admissions is deeply flawed, and your words can hurt – even the compliments.

When it comes to admissions, regardless of our own personal opinions on whether affirmative action should exist or not, we

should never assume that a person got into any college solely because of their race, gender or any other facet of their identity.

All of us are just trying to figure out our place in the world, taking – or preparing to take – the huge next step into adulthood. It’s terrifying and exciting at the same time, for everyone

family members to the OG Scream character, Randy Meeks. Although the fifth and sixth movies introduce a lot of new characters, we do get to see the return of some fan favorite characters. The main character of the first four movies, Sidney Prescott, was in the fifth but unfortunately not the sixth. This was a bit

expecting it to be the best movie ever, but I was hopeful. In Scream 6, we get to experience the story in a new setting. Instead of the usual California setting, the characters are now living in

here. So before you let your disbelief set in (“I can’t believe they got in!”), take a moment to think. Don’t let jealousy cloud your judgement – you don’t know every single factor of that person’s last four years, let alone every word of their application. No one deserves to feel like they haven’t earned what they’ve

achieved. Instead, take the time to celebrate the wins of the people around you –it’s been a hard few years, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic causing massive disruptions to education and motivation – and we could all use a little more celebration for making it through.

Microplastics: a part of us now

Ready to scream: sixth installment of the horror film is one of the best yet

“

Research on the effects of microplastics on humans is still ongoing. What we do know is that they’re there -- and they’re everywhere.”

ANITA GAENKO,

“I chose number twenty-three because it’s Christen Press’s number. She is my favorite soccer player, and it’s so funny and interesting to watch on her YouTube interviews.”

Min Coulomb, Sophomore

“On my first club team, I want ed to be number eleven be cause my favorite soccer player Dembele is number eleven. He is a five-star winger and black like me. One of my friends took eleven, so I took seventeen be cause it looked like eleven.”-

Nana Nkansah-Andoh, Senior

“The only single digit number left was seven, and it was history from there. I starting preform ing well and people started to call me “7money” and “7island.” The number seven is also God’s Number.”-

Torrence Greene, Senior

“I had to choose a number and there’s a lot of important dates in my family with the number 21 like a lot of birthdays and anniversaries. Most impor tantly it was my mom’s birth day so I choose that number.”

- Abby Cullen, Senior

“It wasn’t really a choice. At first, my brother chose the number 73 and I chose 68. But then, our jerseys got mixed up and I ended with 73, which is obviously the better number. So I just kept it.”

- Sandra Fu, Senior

-

ANNABELLE YE AND JULIANNE CUCOS

DESIGN EDITOR AND STAFF WRITER

The love of hate: a scoop of celebrity drama

SAMANTHA GOLDSTEIN AND ASHLEY KIM DESIGN EDITOR AND STAFF WRITER

To social media, hate is like an ice cream sundae – sweet and alluring. That much has always been true, since the first traces of platforms in the late 1990s. However, if drama is the ice cream itself – essential to the mere existence of the sundae – then celebrity controversies are like the sprinkles.

Over the years, there has been a clear pattern in what society views as the cherry on top: conflict between two female celebrities, especially when that conflict is centered around a man. This theme has come into play over and over again as various social media platforms have gained popularity, the most recent instance being the conflict between Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber. Selena Gomez is a singer and actress, who has been a star since she was just a kid. In 2009, she met Justin Bieber, a popular singer-songwriter, and thus began their on and off again relationship that lasted for around 8 years. Just months after they officially broke up in 2018, Justin Bieber tied the knot with Hailey Bieber, formerly known as Hailey Baldwin. Hailey Bieber is an American model, often referred to by the media as a “nepotism baby”, as the daughter and niece of actors Stephen and Alec Baldwin.

This gained a lot of attention from the media, with millions of fans wondering what went on behind the scenes. “Why did Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez break up?”, “How did Justin Bieber move on so quickly?” and “What role did Hailey Bieber play in all of this?” were just a few of the many questions people are asking. Although the three of them have never directly answered any of these, many fans have found enough evidence to

build a strong case. Hailey has received extreme amounts of backlash for bullying directed towards Gomez. This has resulted in an influx of hate tweets, TikToks, Instagram posts, you name it, all directed towards Hailey. While some are merely condemning her for her actions, ones that are rumored to have occurred for years, others have gone as far as to name Hailey only as a “nepo baby” and to claim that she has trapped Justin in their marriage, dismissing her success as a model. This isn’t to justify Hailey’s actions. In today’s society, where social media has such an

when criticism turns into redundant, harmful hatred. Honestly, the hate directed towards Hailey has become hypocritical. Hailey first received backlash for bullying, which is

has been through a lot recently. It is also rumored that Justin cheated on her with Hailey near the end of their relationship. This has led the fans to take her “side” in all of this drama. Another factor playing into this is Selena’s background. She was a child star, as she had a role in Barney and Friends and Disney Channel’s Wizards of Waverly Place. This helps fans resonate with her, because they grew up knowing her and she has been known for much longer. She has also been referred to as a very nice and compassionate person, which is a huge

speculation, Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber seem to be completely civil. Selena and Hailey followed each other on Instagram, and Selena acknowledged the situation by asking her fans to stop hating on Hailey. This may or may not be a facade, in an attempt to stop the drama. Most recently, Hailey opened up about her mental health struggles over the past year, especially pertaining to her media image. Eventually, the truth may come out and answer all of these questions, or this drama will remain a mystery and will fade out of existence with time. But, until then, the speculation and possible evidence surfacing the media will likely continue to increase.

extensive influence on young people, it’s increasingly important to call out celebrities and those with platforms for their wrongdoings. Hailey is known as a “mean girl” in the industry. There have been many situations where fans have reported her being rude or disrespectful in public. Also, many people are claiming Hailey is obsessed with Selena. There have been many similarities found between Selena and Hailey, which has led people to believe Hailey is copying her. Between interview answers, tattoos, outfits, and more, fans have found many similarities between the two, leading the media to believe Hailey is a copycat.

However, it’s also necessary to realize

what that very same backlash has turned into. It seems as though every move Hailey has made since acknowledging Gomez’ existence, harmful or not, has been condemned.

According to the media, Selena Gomez is definitely the victim in the situation. Between her and Justin’s toxic relationship, her battle with lupus, and her mental and physical health struggles, she

difference from Hailey’s “mean girl” image. Still, she is criticized by some for not doing enough to stop her fans from attacking Hailey. This starkly contrasts the way male celebrities are treated when they are the subject of controversy. Justin, who is undeniably involved in the Hailey vs. Selena debate, has received no backlash for his wrongdoings, despite the uncovering of many new details about his marriage, like his abusive actions and rumored infidelity. When weighing the couple’s actions, it’s clear which are more severe. However, there is an obvious disparity between the level of repercussions they have faced in comparison to their actions.

Despite all this

This isn’t the only scenario where female celebrities have received disproportionate hate compared to their male counterparts, even when their actions are practically incomparable. Kanye West, for example, has made countless antisemitic and racist comments and has repeatedly harassed his female counterparts. Yet in 2016, when he attacked Taylor Swift, she was the one who received endless hate. West, though overtly problematic, maintains his influence to this day.

It is true that social media thrives on hate. Admittedly, hate is entertaining, and that may never change. Despite this, it’s important to take into account that social media isn’t always real. When a new controversy presents itself on our screens, what we see is not the whole picture, but rather an expertly curated story designed to get a response. Before we hate, it’s crucial to ask ourselves why we hate and what that hate will do. Will it condemn actions that need to be called out? Or will it contribute to already existing injustices?

GRAPHIC BY ANITA GAENKO AND ANNA ESPER

Spring Sports kick-off: Start of the season in photos

1. The Rats, led by seniors Jake Spieles, Ben Locke and Sebastian Casillas, gather around the mound during a timeout. An interesting storyline to follow this seasonfreshman pitcher Blake Deskovitz came up from JV and has been lights out to start the season. 2. Junior Melinda Mei shielding the ball from Bedford player. Defending last season’s SEC title, the Rats remain the team to beat in the conference. 3. The attack tries to get the ball around the

offensive third to set up a scoring chance.

4 . Junior Sam Read anticipates a pitch in the batter’s box. 5. Junior Lucas Weintraub runs with the baton. 6. Setting up a scoring chance, the Huron women’s lacrosse team attempts to score against city-rival Skyline. 7. Senior captain Aravind Krishnan sets up a scoring opportunity for the Rats.

8. Senior Braxton Brann leads the Huron track team on the hurdles. Photos by Lacy Delp, Brody Tuner, Meriam Ikharbine

JULYA MAE JONES STAFF WRITER

Get to know athletic trainers Melissa Stamper & Zachary Crothers

MELINDA MEI STAFF WRITER

A:

Q:What’s something you want students to know about your job?

Flexibility and patience – things are constantly changing. Whether it’s our schedules, the weather or different personalities we have to work with, having these two traits are a must for this profession.

Q:How did you find your interest in this job?

A:Q:I knew I always wanted to do healthcare & athletic training was a good option. After I was accepted in Grand Valley State’s Athletic Training Program, I discovered that I loved working with high school athletes.

What’s a cool success story you experienced as an athletic trainer at Huron?

Q:What’s your favorite thing about being an athletic trainer?

Have you lived or worked anywhere else besides here?

A:I have worked in Shreveport, Louisiana at Centenary College of Louisiana as an Assistant Athletic Trainer. I worked with all the sports there during the transition from a NCAA Division 1 school to a NCAA Division III school. I have also lived in Alabama. I worked for a physical therapy company as an Outreach Athletic Trainer covering five rural high schools and four industrial locations. I worked as a Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainer at Siena Heights University as well.

How did you find your interest in this job?

A:I was an injured kid in high school. I knew I wanted to work in athletics, administration and help people, and being an athletic trainer can check all three.

A:Working with the counseling department, we teamed up with the Food Gatherers and developed the food pantry here at Huron. The pantry has different locations in the school with one of the locations in the indoor athletic training room.

A:Q:One of the coolest things about my job is being able to help an athlete get back to playing the sport they love after sustaining an injury. Working with high school athletes is the best & knowing that I can make a small difference in their life makes my job worth it.

Q:Have you lived/ worked anywhere else besides here? A:I grew up in Westland and graduated from Livonia Franklin High School and then Grand Valley State University. I have worked at two other high schools before Huron – Dearborn & South Lyon East. I now live in Canton with my husband, three cats, lizard and frog.

Q:Q:Tell me about some things you like to do in your free time. A:I love to garden and grow cut flowers. I also volunteer with a local animal rescue group.

Women’s basketball has finally captured the long-deserved spotlight

QUINN NEWHOUSE SPORTS EDITOR

41 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists.

With a more boring and less star-studded Men’s March Madness than usual this year, something shifted in the world of sports. The comments on an ESPN post showcasing Caitlin Clark’s 41 point triple-double in the Elite Eight, the oft-sexist comments were a lot more, well, normal. “That girl can BALL!” the top comment said. The one below read “She changing women’s basketball forever.” The comments were not just treating her like a male athlete — they were treating her like a legend.

For many, this change in behavior feels like a real 180-degree turn from the past. When ESPN posted any women’s sports clips, comments read spiteful and hateful remarks. Comments like “make a sandwich instead” or “go clean the dishes” would get tens of thousands of likes under these posts. With all the strides

we’ve made in pop culture to push progressively, the hetero-white-male dominated sports landscape fought on the hill of keeping sports exclusively male, exclusively straight, like “the good ol’ days.”

But something clearly changed. Clark was getting revered. Scrolling down further, not a single negative comment could be found on posts about Clark. The often bigoted sports bros have changed their tune. As the men’s tournament got increasingly less marketable (A final four with Florida Atlantic and San Diego State does not do well for ratings), Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes became the team to watch. Cruising into the championship and scoring 155 points through the first four games of the tournament, Clark had captivated the sports world at the perfect time. It only got better.

Iowa was now to face Louisiana State in the finals.

Led by star Angel Reese, the two teams were marketed nearly more than the men’s

Final Four. The game didn’t disappoint- LSU won in a

even batted an eye. When the men’s tournament failed to

the most viewed women’s basketball game EVER with 12.6 million viewers. Even more impressive, it was the most streamed game in ESPN+ HISTORY, including all men’s sports.

The energy has shifted. It feels as if the lingering bigotry in sports was finally slain by Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. It’s not just on the court either. Analysts like Mina Kimes and Jamie Erdahl, who not even five years ago would be faced with mountains of sexist remarks, currently rule daytime ESPN shows. 2023 is going to be looked back upon as one of the pivotal years for the popularity and recognition of women’s sports, and as far as the coming seasons go, it’s truly only up from here for women’s hoops. Clark and Reese have built the perfect platform for the WNBA to build on, and it’s clear the fans want to see the success

ZAIN CHARANIA, TARIK FERMIN, AND NOOR AWWAD SPORTS EDITOR, MANAGING EDITOR, AND STAFF WRITER

Observation of Ramadan

Islamic Star and Moon Dates

are used to break one’s fast during Ramadan as it is Sunnah (an action of the Prophet), dates hold a very special place in many cultures including non-Muslim ones as well. Dates were introduced within Abrahamic religions as Maryam (Mary), was told to eat dates to ease the birth of Isa (Jesus). In an authentic hadith (saying) by the prophet, “Indeed in dates there is a cure.” Consuming dates has also been shown to lower heart disease and improve overall health.

On March 23, 2023 over 2.1 billion Muslim people started observing the religious month of Ramadan. The month is said to begin when the moon is sighted after a moonless night, when the smallest sliver of the moon is found, the month will begin. Within this month Muslim people begin a journey towards connecting with Allah (God). Fasting within Ramadan is prescribed by God in the holy book of Islam, the Qur’an.

Throughout Ramadan the practice and ethics of the religion are very important. Zakat (charity), is mandatory, as well as prayers and abstinence. Ramadan is a time for Muslims to be able to connect oneself with God, all the practices that are done are to build a strong connection. Fasting during Ramadan begins at sunrise and ends at sunset, without food or water. Muslims

day and every night of Ramadan.

The holy month of Ramadan is commemorated as the month in which the Qur’an was sent down to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Muslims commemorate the exact night “Laylat-ul-Qadr” (Night of Power) by praying all night long, as according to the Qur’an this one night is better and stronger than 1000 months. The month of Ramadan also contains special prayers called “Taraweeh”, which is 10 times longer than any other prayer during the day. Taraweeh can last long into the night even past midnight as it starts after the last prayer of the day. Although Taraweeh is not mandatory, it is said to forgive your previous sins.

Throughout the world people of different cultures come together to celebrate this important month. Although the way it is celebrated might be different, Ramadan is a way to connect

are symbols that represent Islam, sort of an emblem. It orginated in Arabia as travel usually happened in the cooler nights to avoid the warmer days. The moon represents guidance of God on the path of life. Also, Islam follows a lunar calendar for their year long calendar, instead of following the common Gregorian calendar. The Islamic calendar was created before the Gregorian calendar, and contains 12 months as does the common calendar. The star and moon in Islamic art works first appeared in 695 AD, around 60 years after the prophet died.

PILLARS OF ISLAM

THE Shahada

Shahada, or proclaimation of faith. The Shahada has two versions (for the two overbranching sects of Islam), however both contain the first two statements “There is no God but God, and Muhammad (PBUH) is the messenger of God.”

Salah

Salah, or prayer, mandates the prayer of Muslims towards God. Prayers can not begin without cleaning one’s body in a process called Wudu.

Zakat

Zakat, or charity, is mandated to Muslims in the Qur’an, the charity is to be distributed within the community it was given to.

Sawm

Sawm, or fasting, is also mandated to Muslims in the Qur’an, 2:184: Oh you who believe (Muslims), Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so you may guard against evil.

Hajj

Hajj, or pilgrimage, is an integral piece of a Muslim’s life, as all Muslims at least once in their life should attempt to complete Hajj. Hajj is a religious journey to Mecca and within Mecca this religious transformation takes place.